Angelo State Awarded First Ever International PT Research Grant

Dr. Younghyeon Bae, Angelo State University’s first-ever post-doctoral fellow, and Dr. Mansoo Ko of the ASU physical therapy faculty have been awarded ASU’s first-ever international research grant from the DoDo Walking company in Seoul, South Korea.

The $7,195 grant will fund the ASU duo’s research titled “Biomechanical Effects of High-Heeled Shoes in Healthy Adults,” which will utilize ASU’s Gross Motor Analysis Lab to investigate and provide potential solutions to the muscular imbalance, foot deformities and other health issues related to women wearing high-heeled shoes. The project is expected to be completed in July of 2015, when the duo hopes to both publish and present their results.“We expect that this study can provide the necessary insight into musculoskeletal factors to design a functional high-heeled shoe,” Ko said, “which may minimize foot deformities in female adults.”

A native of South Korea and member of the ASU physical therapy faculty since 2008, Ko holds a doctorate from the University of Florida and is director of ASU’s Gross Motor Analysis Lab. He has also completed collaborative research projects with Texas Woman’s University-Houston and has initiated several other projects with Tier 1 research universities in Texas. He was awarded ASU’s 2012 President’s Award for Faculty Excellence in Research/Creative Endeavor.

As a post-doctoral fellow, Bae is at ASU to participate in mentored research, get scholarly training to acquire additional professional skills, and establish his future research agenda in the field of clinical rehabilitative science. He received his physical therapy doctoral degree from Shamyook University in South Korea and is certified by the Korean Physical Therapy Association as a clinical specialist in neurologic and orthopedic physical therapy. He has practiced at several major South Korean medical centers, and in 2012 received Samsung Medical Center’s HERO Award as the best clinician.